Demountable flush type acoustical ceiling construction



April 30, 1963 J. A. MANCINI 3,087,205

DEMOUNTABLE FLUSH TYPE ACOUSTICAL CEILING CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 29, 1957 J2 mp3 JOSEPH A. HANG/NI United States This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 631,252, filed December 28, 1956, now abandoned, and relates generally to ceiling constructions and more particularly to an improved acoustical tile, suspended ceiling construction which is readily demountable for access to the area thereabove without damage to the tiles.

Suspended ceiling constructions are well known in the art as is the use of acoustical tile and a number of such constructions are of the demountable type. However, as a whole, these are characterized by a number of objectionable features among which are: a complexity of structure of the cooperating parts resulting in an excessive cost as to supply and as to installation by increasing the time required therefor; a poor design resulting in general instability and collapse of the ceiling upon movement thereof due to earthquake, etc.; and .an inability to readily remove only one or more tiles rather than a whole row to obtain access to electrical conduits, etc. located above the ceiling.

A further difliculty in prior art structures arises where the main or tile-supporting runner channels are spaced four feet apart rather than two. While a definite economy as to the number of runner channels required is thus effected, the tiles lack the necessary rigidity for a four foot span and as a result, there is a tendency for the acoustical tiles to sag.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling construction which will obviate the above and other objectionable features characterizing known structures.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling of the flush sur- -'face type wherein the ceiling tiles receive their sole support from adjacent, abutting runner channels so constructed as to eliminate any danger of collapse of the ceiling upon movement thereof due to earthquake, etc.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling construction wherein each tile is kerfed on its four edges and supported and sealed against breathing solely by hook type support splines secured to the runner channels and entering opposed kerfs, breathing (or the passage of air) on the remaining two opposed edges being prevented between adjacent tiles by means of a pair of cooperating tile stiffener channels, one of which includes a flange overlying the abutting edges to act as a breather spline.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling construction which is strong and rigid after installation which requires no bolts, screws or nail-s and which is readily and simply demountable due to the novel cooperation of the supporting and sealing members.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the demountable, suspended ceiling construction comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view thereof to an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

ate

3,687,205 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 "ice FIGURE 3 is a similar view taken at right angles thereto on the line 33 of FIGURE 1, showing the coaction of the tile stiffener and breather channels;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view thereof; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the support splines in position on the vertical side flanges of the runner channel.

In its broadest aspects, the invention contemplates a demountably suspended ceiling construction whose visible surface is formed of parallel rows of runner channels be tween each of which is a row of tiles supported solely by splines removably interlocked on the channels, the edges of the tiles closely abutting the sides of the channels and each other, and the bottoms of the tiles and the channels forming a flush, .attractive ceiling surface.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that parallel rows of tile-supporting channels 10 are supported by means of hanger clips 12 upon rows of parallel channelsupporting channels 14 arranged at right angles thereto and supported from the ceiling by means of spaced wire hangers 18.

The tile-supporting runner channels 10 (FIGURE 5) have flat lower faces 20, vertically extending side Walls 22 terminating, by being doubled back on themselves, in upstanding flanges 24, inwardly directed horizontal flanges 26, and inner vertical flanges 28 spaced from each other by the width of the intermediate body portion of a hanger clip 12.

The tiles are supported solely by the runner channels 10 by means of support splines 30 which extend the length of a single tile and include a flat hook 32, a downward flange 34 which lies flat against the side Wall 22 of a runner channel and a horizontal flange 36 which includes a longitudinally extending corrugation 38.

Each of the tiles T, which are preferably acoustical but may be of any desired type, includes a kerf 40 in each of its four edges of greater depth than the length of the flange 36 of the support spline 30, and is rabbeted as at 42 above the kerf 44 to accommodate the spline flange 34 so as to enable the lower edge of the tile to abut a runner channel side wall 22 (FIGURE 2), and to accommodate the tile stiffener and breather splines described below.

The parallel runner channels 10, as shown in FIG- URE 1, are spaced at greater intervals than two feet such as four feet to support tiles T having 2' x 4' dimensions although 4' x 4 tiles could be used. To prevent any tendency of the tiles to sag between the runner channels, the right-hand kerfed edges of the tiles as viewed in FIGURES 1, 3 and 4, are provided with stiifener channels 43 of metal or any suitable material.

The legs of the channels 43 closely engage the upper edge surface of the tiles and of the kerfs 40 while the channel web lies flush against the tile r-abbets 42. The left hand edges of the tiles T are provided with similarly mounted stiifener channels 44, the upper :leg 45 of each of which is turned back flat on itself to form a sealing flange or spline 46 which contacts the upper leg of the stiffener channel 43 to effectively prevent breathing between the edges of the abutting tiles.

It will be readily apparent that the stiffener channels 43 and 44 whose webs abut when their tiles T are in installed position will not only prevent any sagging of the tiles due to the span length and prevent breathing between the tiles, but will materially enhance the demountability of the tiles when access to the area above the ceiling is desired. The combined stiffener channel 44 and spline 46 may be readily lifted off or above an underlying tile as compared to other structures where this is not possible due to the engagement of a flat or Tspline in the kerfs of abutting tiles.

In the installation of the ceiling comprising the invention, the channels 14 are first arranged and supported in proper relationship on the wire hangers 18 which depend from anchors in the rough ceiling. The hanger clips 12 are of inverted T shape sheet metal with a base 48 Which confiorms in shape and dimensions to the interior of the runnerchannels into which they are now placed (FIG- URES 1-3). The upper ends of the clips are provided with a pair of spaced tongues 50 and a lower tongue 52 which are adapted to be bent inwardly about the upper and lower sides of each of the channels 14.

The runner channels 10 are thus supported by the channels 14 in parallel relationship the length of a tile or two feet apart and may extend any desired length by the use of splice channels 54 which conform to the inner dimensions of and telescope within the adjacent abutting ends of a pair of runner channels 10. With the placing of the runner channels, the tiles T are ready to be positioned as soon as the opposed pairs of edges of the tiles which are to abut other tiles are provided with the stiifener channels 43 and 44 as set forth above.

The horizontal flange 36 of a support spline 36 is now placed in the kerf -40 of each of the opposite edges of a tile T and the fiat hooks =32 of each placed over the adjacent vertical flanges 24 of a pair of runner channels. This places the bottom face of the tile flush with the lower face of the runner channel. It will be noted that the corrugation 38 not only strengthens the horizontal kerf-entering flange 36 but 'frictionally engages the side of the kerf. The placing of tiles in each row continues as indicated until completed.

It will now be readily apparent that the construction described enables easy installation, a flush attractive lower surface, and great stabiltiy. Each tile is interlocked by the support splines 30 to the adjacent runner channel flanges 24 while the support splines '30 and the combined stiffener and sealing splines 44, 46 prevent breathing of the finished ceiling. The support splines 30 cannot be accidentally dislodged by movement due to earthquake, etc. (unless of such severity as would destroy the building) as the hook portion 32 extends toward but does not rest on the channel flange 26. Thus, the weight of the two'support splines 30 and of the tile prevent dislodging of the latter.

Any tile is readily demountable by pushing upwardly on it adjacent a runner channel to thus lift the support spline hook 32 out of engagement with the channel flanges 24. l'Ilhis movement is not interfered with as by the sealinterlock in the 'kerfs of adjacent tiles, but is readily per- 4 m-itted by the sealing spline 46 which lightly rests on the stiffener channel '43.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of thesame and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention or to the scope of the subjoined claim.

I claim:

A demountable suspended ceiling construction comprising a plurality of spaced parallel channels having sides including upstanding flanges, means supporting said channels from a building, a row of ceiling forming tiles in abutting relationship arranged between and abutting each spaced pair of said channels, each of said tiles having kerfs formed throughout its peripheral edges, the peripheral edges being rahbeted from said kerfs to the upper surface of said tiles, a plurality of individual tile supporting means each coextensive with a single tile and resting only on and detachably hooked over the edges of said upstanding flanges of each of said pairs of channels and connected only with and received in the the kerfs in the channelabutting ends of the tiles and supporting said tiles with their bottom faces flush with the bottom faces of said channels to form a flush continuous ceiling surface, a channel coextensive with and mounted over the rabbeted portions of the tile-abutting edges of said tilesto stiffen them against sagging, and a sealing spline formed integrally with the leg of one of a pair of abutting channels and folded backwardly over said leg and extending past their abutting edges to prevent the passage of air past the tile-abutting edge of a tile.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,984,028 M acleod Dec. .1 1, 1934 2,309,695 Droeger Feb. 2, 1943 2,648,102 Jacobson Aug. 11, 1953 2,667,667 Jacobson Feb. 2, .1954 2,742,122 Stanley Apr. 17, 1956 2,761,142 Sorenson Sept. 4, 1956 2,807,993 Ericson Oct. 1, 1957 2,822,584 Unbain vFeb. 511, ,1958 2,882,558 Jacobson .Apr. v21, 1959 2,994,113 ;Dai=l Aug. 1, .1961

FOREIGN PATENTS 588,498 Great Britain May 22, 1947 1,004,842 France Dec. 5,1951 

